For a moment, put yourself in Paul’s sandals and place your hand on his heart. Now read Acts 17:1-9 and walk with Paul into “a synagogue of the Jews” and listen to him “on three Sabbaths… reason with them from the Scriptures, explaining and proving that it was necessary for Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead” (1-3). From this intense proclamation, “some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a great number of the devout Greeks and not a few of the leading women” (4). As can be expected from previous encounters, the Jews stirred up the crowds against Paul and Silas, and a new disciple, Jason. What was the charge made against them? “These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also” (6). I would not mind a charge like that if it was made because I simply preached from the Scriptures about Jesus! From this uproar, it became necessary for the new disciples to “send Paul and Silas away by night” (10) for their safety. All this took place around January 51AD. Paul and Silas go on to Berea, Athens and Corinth. By the time November and December 51AD arrive, Paul is concerned about these new believers. It forces him to send Timothy to them who had been with Paul since Lystra. Listen to his heart; “But since we were torn away from you, brothers, for a short time, in person not in heart, we endeavored the more eagerly and with great desire to see you face to face, because we wanted to come to you—I, Paul, again and again—but Satan hindered us. For what is our hope or joy or crown of boasting before our Lord Jesus at his coming? Is it not you? For you are our glory and joy” (1 Thessalonians 2:17–20). You can be sure that Timothy understood Paul’s heart toward them. “We sent Timothy, our brother and God’s coworker in the gospel of Christ, to establish and exhort you in your faith, that no one be moved by these afflictions” (3:2–3). Read that sentence again. Are you that kind of faithful Timothy that has the same heartbeat of Paul for establishing believers in their faith? We live in a day when there are many “afflictions” that are moving people away from the biblical anchor. The need for faithful “Timothys” is becoming more and more critical. ARE YOU ONE?
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There are many ways to close a letter or email. This may depend on your relationship with the person you are writing to and the expectations you have of that person. Because Paul wrote to individuals and churches, each letter is closed in a different way, expressing his desire that they receive grace and love through his words.
As Paul closes the last of his early letters, his sixth letter, he ends the letter to the Romans in worship, or what is called a doxology (an expression of praise to God). Let’s read these verses. “Now to Him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages but has now been disclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith— to the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ! Amen” (Romans 16:25–27). As Paul concludes his treatise on the gospel, he points to the Author who is “able to strengthen” them through what he has just presented through this letter. The power of God in the gospel and preaching of Jesus Christ was all they needed to ensure their steady growth, strengthening and effectiveness. Can you imagine what those last two years of his life in Rome were like? He “welcomed all who came to him, proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance” (Acts 28:30-31). Paul expected them to be made stronger through the “mystery…according to the command of the eternal God.” If you encourage others through your praise for what God is doing in them, you will point them past yourself to the Author of the gospel, not the messenger. One of the facets of my involvement in this ministry is that I am daily communicating with persons I have never seen and perhaps will never see. While it is disappointing in one way that I cannot travel like I did in the past, there is still a bond developed through the very nature of talking about the things of the Lord that is almost stronger than if we had met in person.
Paul did not plant a church in Rome, but the Gospel moved westward through others under the Spirit’s powerful control. Two of these persons were Priscilla (Prisca) and Aquila who had been with Paul in Corinth, Antioch and Ephesus (Acts 18). They moved to Rome and were part of the church there (Romans 16:3). It is fairly clear from that chapter, Paul had a good grasp of the church in Rome and who was in it. He felt though, that a letter was necessary to further establish their hearts in the Gospel of pure grace. Notice his intent in his letter and his heart toward these believers: “I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you— that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine” (Romans 1:11–12). He first accomplishes this desire to “strengthen” them by writing the best and longest treatise on the gospel. That was a huge gift! Paul did not stop at sending a letter. He kept planning and waiting on the Lord to eventually be there. It was a very unusual journey with dangers and opposition, yet he never gave up. Their encouragement was a high priority to Paul. Is there someone you are thinking of that needs spiritual strengthening and encouragement? DO NOT put off doing what the Lord has put on your heart. It may make the difference between their continuing strong in the faith or losing heart and becoming the target of false teachers. One of the features of Paul’s ministry that continually intrigues me is his constant movement from one place to another. He rarely stayed in one place more than a few months, yet he accomplished so much in a little over ten years, covering over 11,000 miles, without any of the modern conveniences we have today. Let me get to my point. In Acts 18, we see Paul leave Athens, travel to Corinth, about 55 miles, and spend two months there. He leaves Corinth via Cenchrea which is a seaport very near to Corinth. He then sails to Ephesus to see the disciples there for a short time and then sails southeast to Caesarea which is just north of Jerusalem. From this seacoast town, he heads north by land to Antioch, the place where he was originally sent out from by the Holy Spirit with Barnabas (13:1-4). “After spending some time there [Antioch], he departed and went from one place to the next through the region of Galatia and Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples” (18:23). Notice how intentional Paul is as he goes from one place to another. Churches had been planted on his first and second missionary journey, but he returned according to the “will of God” (18:21) for the purpose of “strengthening all the disciples” (18:23). Helping these disciples become strong in their faith and the Gospel was critical for Paul and them. He would not always be able to keep visiting these churches. At some point they would need to stand on their own. How are you doing where you are? You and I are not Paul, but as his Timothys, we can imitate the principles he used that worked to expand the Church and make sure the disciples in it are strong in faith, practice and in God’s purpose for the Church. There had been a significant shift in Paul’s ministry between his first missionary journey and just as the second was starting. Barnabas and Paul were a good team, but they separated over a conviction Paul had on how to be effective as a team. That meant Barnabas took John Mark with him and Paul took Silas and made him his partner. At the same time, Paul was looking beyond just having a team of two. He wanted to multiply their effectiveness and found a young man with a good reputation at Lystra and “wanted Timothy to accompany him” (Acts 16:2).
One of the proofs that this strategy was the right one was immediately revealed in verse 4 and 5; “As they went on their way through the cities, they delivered to them for observance the decisions that had been reached by the apostles and elders who were in Jerusalem. So, the churches were strengthened in the faith, and they increased in numbers daily” (Acts 16:4–5). Not only was the Gospel of grace confirmed in the places where they went, but the churches that had been planted were “strengthened in the faith.” As others had done and many more will do, when faith is made strong, there is an automatic multiplication that takes place. There is no need for ‘programs to force growth.’ The power of the Spirit of Jesus in the Gospel pushes out the message through those who received it and were impacted through its transforming work. Notice how quickly this took place; “they increased in numbers daily.” When this principle is believed and accepted, we will see God bring expansion and growth. The Early Church had gone through a difficult time prior to the Jerusalem Council. The tensions between some who wanted Gentile believers to be circumcised and follow the Law for salvation, versus those who saw God work in the Gentiles through the gospel of grace, were very real. Peter, Paul and others witnessed the Holy Spirit come on new believers without any requirement. How thankful we are that God moved among them at this council and the proclamation was made; “We believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will” (Acts 15:11).
There was an immediate need for healing among new believers who felt the sudden demand of ‘law keepers.’ The Jerusalem Council sent out a letter, not just to set the record straight on salvation by grace through faith, but to “encourage” the believers. To make this really effective, the letter was hand delivered by “Judas and Silas who were themselves prophets, encouraged and strengthened the brothers with many words” (15:32). That’s not all, they spent some time with those the letter went to so their presence would also encourage and strengthen them (15:33). This should be our heart toward persons and churches who have gone through times of difficulty. It is part of realizing that we are bound together in the Body of Christ and what happens in one part of the body affects the whole. As we saw yesterday, part of the goal in strengthening believers is so they can become strong and stand on their own in times of adversity. I am guilty of being too busy and not giving proper attention to those who need encouragement and strengthening. Let’s do better than we have so the Body of Christ grows and becomes mature. This week we will look at one of the principles Paul used in his ministry of planting churches. From his conversion in Acts 9 onward, he gave himself to preaching Jesus Christ, “saying, He is the Son of God” (9:20). On his first missionary journey with Barnabas, “they…preached the gospel…and made many disciples” (14:21). That was his method everywhere he went. Often the venue was different; from speaking with those in the synagogue to proclaiming the gospel in the public square; from jails to private homes, everywhere became an opportunity to present Jesus. Gaining converts for Paul was only the beginning of the ministry God had given him. As a “master builder” he purposely planned his work so that new churches that were planted and the disciples in them were strengthened and established in their faith. Though his time in Antioch (in Pisidia), Iconium, Lystra and Derbe was short in each place (3 to 4 months), Paul determined to returned to these places to “strengthen (stërizõ – make stronger) the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith” (14:22). We will look at other references in the days ahead and see that this principle ran throughout his ministry, right to the end of his life. Evangelism is at the forefront of any missionary work, both locally and around the world, but converts cannot be abandoned to any religious ‘shepherd’ who might lead them down a road of false teaching. It was part of Paul’s evangelism work to make sure that young believers were becoming strong in their faith. We will expand on this in the days ahead. For now, think about the method you use in discipling new believers. Are they getting strong in their faith so they are unmoved by winds of false teaching? THE GREAT PROTECTION AGAINST ERROR IS TO KNOW THE TRUTH! The post yesterday moved me to think about the methods that Jesus employed in reaching people. A perfect example is the woman in John 4. This was a teaching moment for the disciples and it should be for us. If we take the analogy we saw yesterday of the waffle, there was a section of the waffle called Samaria that did not have the message of “living water” and “eternal life.” On Jesus’ itinerary was a return trip from Judea to Galilee. For most Jews at the time, they had great distain for Samaritans and if they were making this same journey, they would either cross the Jordon and travel up the east side of the Jordon River, or go all the way out to the coastal road. Either route took longer, but they could avoid people they wanted nothing to do with. Jesus heads right up the center of Samaria through the town of Sychar. Notice how John phrases this trip; “He had to pass through Samaria” (John 4:4). The word “had” (dei) gives the connotation of “must, or a necessity as being under compulsion” and is used five other times in John (3:14; 9:4; 10:16; 12:34; 20:9). Jesus felt compelled to “pass through Samaria.” Where did this intense feeling come from? Jesus was always conscious of doing the Father’s will. “For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me” (John 6:38). What unreached people would hear the liberating news of freedom through salvation in Jesus Christ if you and I would stop taking the long road and start sensing the divine compulsion from God to reach someone or some people that no one else cares about or purposely avoids? There are about 7,000 such people groups, so there is plenty of opportunity. The number is not the point. The issue we each face is whether we feel a divine “must.” “Contemporaries of Columbus were convinced that the world was flat like a pancake. Of course, his historic voyage of 1492 disproved this idea. But—it has only been recently that those focused on missions began to abandon the pancake theory!! “What does that mean?” you say. Mission-minded people have thought for a long time that the world was like a pancake, and the Gospel was like the syrup. As long as you poured on enough syrup, eventually the whole pancake would be covered with it. So, they thought that, as long as they kept sending missionaries and seeing people saved, the Gospel would one day fill the whole earth. Sounds good, right? Contrary to this theory, after hundreds of years of sending missionaries and mission money to, for example Africa, we are seeing that some of the continent is very Christian, while other parts are still very resistant to the Gospel. Why? It's because the earth is not a pancake but a waffle! A waffle has pockets that the syrup can fill, but each pocket is surrounded by barriers. That's what's happening with the Gospel; it is filling certain areas of the world, but it is not crossing the barriers to reach all the pockets of people (people groups). The nature of these barriers may be ethnic, linguistic, religious, racial, social, or something else. How many pockets or groups of people are there in the world? An estimated 17,000! How many people groups have not been reached? Around 7,000—quite a sizable bite. How can we reach these 7,000 yet to be impacted with the power of the Gospel? We must focus on how to overcome the barriers that separate these people from Christ. We need to insert the Gospel into each pocket, and that requires prayer, and strategy, and going to the very corners of the waffle—I mean—earth (Acts 1:8)! That's why we are involved with Joshua Project. We want to participate in this challenging, strategic task. We want every barrier crossed and every pocket filled with God's glory through the Gospel!” Adapted from http://www.missionfrontiers.org/issue/article/the-worldwide...waffle Dan Scribner, Joshua Project, July 2018 Newsletter Whenever I think of God’s work in China, the name of Hudson Taylor immediately comes to mind. He broke ground where the Gospel had never been preached before. What was it that made him such an effective tool for God in this vast land and launch a work that is still bearing fruit today? I want to give you a couple quotes that let us look into the inner character of this man. “Give God time to reveal Himself to you. Give yourself time to be silent and quiet before Him, waiting to receive, through the Spirit, the assurance of His presence with you, His power working in you. Take time to read His Word as in His presence, that from it you may know what He asks of you and what He promises you.” “It is always helpful to us to fix our attention on the Godward aspect of Christian work; to realize that the work of God does not mean so much as man’s work for God but God’s own work through man.” During a very difficult time when Hudson’s circumstances were hard and his health failing, he writes: “I felt also that quite a load was now taken off my mind. I had committed myself and my affairs to the Lord, and knew that if it was for my good and for His glory, my things would be restored. If not, all would be for the best.” (“J. Hudson Taylor,” Bethany House Publishers, pages 8, 110). The challenge we have is whether we are doing the Lord’s work with this kind of contentment? It comes from a prayer life that forms a deep relationship with God in secret. |
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